Switch for pleasure-railways.



N "1' o. n PATBNTED MAR.3,'1908.

o 88 0o s. E. JAGKMAN.

SWITCH PoR PLEASURE RAILWAYS.

APPLIOATION ILED 00T. 3, 1907.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

b mililillilEIEIEIEIEIEI- A TTOHNE YS 1HE NoRms PETERS ca., wAsHmaoN; n. c.

PATENTBD MAR. s, 1900.

s. E. JAGKMAN. SWITGH FOR. PLEASURE RAILWAYS.

' PPL GATION FILED T. 3. 1 0

A I 0G 7 3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

\. anni www:

W/TNESSES ATTORNEYS 1H: NaRms PETERS co., wAsmnmrorvY D. c.

UNITE STATES PATENT OFFICE.

STEPHEN E. JACKMAN, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

SWITCH FOR PLEASURE-RAILWAYS.

Application filed October 3, 1907.

To all 'whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, STEPHEN E. JACKMAN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of New York, Coney Island, borough of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Switch for Pleasure-Railways, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The invention relates to inclined or switchback pleasure railways, such as are used in exhibition grounds, parks, pleasure resorts and the like, and the object of the invention is to provide a new and improved switch, arranged to permit of conveniently and quickly running the cars from a storage floor to the track of the railway, and from the track back to the storage ilo'or, as required by the demands of the trafiic, and without seriously interrupting the running of the railway. K

The invention consists of novel features and parts and combinations of the same, which will be more fully described hereinafter and then pointed out in the claims.

A practical embodiment of the invention is represented in the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure l is a plan view of the improvement arranged for running cars over the track g Fig. 2 is a like view of the improvement, showing the switch in position for running cars from the terminal of the railway track to the storage floor; Fig. 3 is a similar view of the improvement showing the switch arranged for running a car from the storage Hoor on to the beginning end of the railway track; Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional side elevation of the improvement on the line 4-4 of Fig. l; Fig. 5 is a face view of one of the switch rail locking pins; Fig. 6 is a sectional side elevation of the improvement on the line 6-6 of Fig. 2, and Fig. 7 is a transverse section of the improvement on the line 7-7 of Fig. l.

The main track A of the pleasure railway has the beginning point A and the terminal point A2 spaced apart at the station B, as plainly indicated in Figs. l, 2 and 3, the said main track being provided with an up-track C, up which the cars are hauled shortly after leaving the station B, by a suitable propelling mechanism which releases the cars after Specicaton of Letters Patent.

Patented March 3, 1908.

Serial No. 395,666.

the summit of the up-track is reached, so that the cars travel down the track by their own weight until they finally reach the terminal A2 of the track, at which point the passengers of the car disembark. The empty car is now run over the platform D back to the beginning point A of the main track A, at which point passengers embark for taking a ride over the pleasure railway.

The platform D forms part of a floor E, on which the cars not used at the time are stored, and from which cars can be run onto the main track A, or run from the same back to the floor, according to the demand of the traffic.

Now in order to guide a car F from the terminal A2 of the track over the platform D to the beginning point A of the track, or to run a car from the floor E onto the platform D and onto the track A at the beginning point A thereof, or to run a car from the terminal A2 over the platform D onto the storing floor E, a suitable device is provided, constructed as follows:

Amain guide rail G is pivoted at G on top of the platform D, and its outer edge is curved and its ends terminate near the ends of the outer rail of the main track A, so that a car F coming down the track A and passing from the terminal A2 thereof onto the platform D, is guided over the latter by the said guide rail yG to the beginning point A of the main track A, it being understood that the outer wheels of the car F run alongside the outer curved edge of the guide rail G. The guide rail G is normally locked in the normal position described and shown in Fig. 1 by a locking pin Il engaging one end of the rail G and an aperture I formed in the platform D. On withdrawing the pin II the rail G can be swung into either of the positions shown in Figs. 2 and 3, and then locked in either of these positions by rengaging the pin II with the switch rail G and with the corresponding aperture I or I2 formed in the platform D. Vhen the guide rail G is locked in its normal position, as illustrated in Fig. 1, and the cars are finally run over the track, which is now rendered practically continuous by the use of the platform D and the guide rail G, then use is also made of guide rails J and K fulcrumed at J and -K on the platform, adjacent to the ends of the inner rail of the track A, as plainly indicated in Fig. l. The rails J and K are adapted to be locked in place on the platform D by locking ins H, H2, similar to the locking pin H.

y the arrangement described the rails J and K prevent the inner wheels of a car F from traveling laterally during the time a car runs over the platform D from the terminal A2 to the beginning vpoint A of the main track A. The pin H normally engages an aperture I3, but -is adapted to engage an aperture It whenever the rail J is swung from the position shown inFig. 1 to the position indicated in Fig. 2. The free end of the rail K is adapted to engage a shoulder G2 on the main guide rail G, whenever the said rail K is swung from the position shown in Fig. 1 to that shown in Fig. 2 at the time the main rail G is in the position indicated in the said Fig. 2. On the floor E is arranged a curved rail L terminating in a pivoted guide rail L, the free end of which is adapted to form a continuation of the pivoted end of the guide rail K. Normally the guide rail L is swung inward as shown in Fig. 1. The free end of the curved guide rail L is adapted to be locked in either of its two positions byra pin HG engaging corresponding apertures in the platform D and 'lioor E respectively. Now when the rails G, J, K and L are moved into the position illustrated in Fig. 2, then a car F coming down the main track A is guided, after leaving the terminal A2, by the rails G, J, K and L to one side of the platform D and against the rail L curved inwardly over the floor E, to allow of running the car back on the fioor to store the car. It is understood that when the car F passes from the terminal A2 of the main track A onto the platform D, its inner wheels are guided along the rail J while the outer wheels are guided along the left hand portion of the main rail G and the rails K and L to finally reach the rail L.

When it is desired to run a car from the floor E onto the beginning end A of the main track A, then the switch rails G, J, K an L are moved into the position illustrated in Fig. 3 so that the switch rail J abuts against the shoulder G2 and thus forms a continuation of the right-hand side of the same at the inner edge thereof. rl`he car F is run from the floor E between a pair of guide rails N, N terminating in guide rails O and P fulcrumed at O and P on the latform D and floor E, the said guide rail O eing normally locked in a non-active position adjacent to the inner face of the innermost main track rail at the terminal A2 (see Figs. 1 and 2). A locking pin H3 engaging the free end of the rail O also engages an aperture I5 in the Hoor E, to lock the rail O in the inactive position mentioned. The pin H3 is also adapted to engage an aperture I6 in the floor E adjacent lto the end of the rail N, to lock the rail O in active position at the time this rail forms a continuation of the rail E (see Fig. 3). The other rail P is adapted to be locked in either of its two positions, as shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, by a locking in H4 engaging either of the two apertures G and I7. Now when the rails O and P form continuations of the rails N and N and are locked in place, and a car F is pushed between the rails N, N and O, P, then this car lfinally travels from the iioor E onto the platform D, and is guided by its outer wheels along the rail J and the right hand side of the rail G, to direct the car towards the beginning point A of the track A. The inner wheels of the car F are guided along the rail E, so as to finally guide the car directly onto the beginning end A of the main track A. Use is also made of arail Q fulcrumed at Q on the platform D adjacent to a pivoted guard rail R for the outer rail of the main track A at the beginning point A. The rail Q is adapted to be locked in either of its two positions shown in Figs. 1., 2 and 3 by a locking pin H5 engaging the free end of the rail Q and either o two apertures I9, Ilo. Thus when the rail Q is in active position, as shown in Fig. 3, it is folded over onto the platform D and the rail R is swung over to form a continuation of the rail Q, so that the rails Q and R prevent the outer wheels of the car F from traveling inward too far, thus guiding the outer wheels towards the beginning end of the outer main track rail, that is, the outer car wheels travel between the rails Q and R and the right-hand end of the main rail G. Vhen the rail Q is not in use (see Figs. 1 and 2) it is swung over alongside the guard rail R and locked in place in this position by the pin H5 engaging the aperture I2.

Guard rails S and S are arranged along the inner sides of the outer rails of the main track A, so as to hold the car wheels in position while traveling up the beginnin portion of the main track A or returning from the main track at the terminal A2 thereof. The car F is provided with side wheels F (see Fig. 7) adapted to travel on the inner wall B of the platform B during the time the carF moves from the terminal A2 over the platform D to the beginning point A of the main track A (see Figs. 1 and 7), the said wall B being parallel to the main track A and the outer edge of the switch rail G when the latter is in the normal position shown in Fig. 1.

From the foregoing it will be seen that a car can practically travel over a continuous track as long as the switch rails are in the position shown in Fig. l and whenever it is desired to run more cars on the track the Y switch rails are shifted into the position shown in Fig. 3, and when it is desired to remove a car from the track and store the same on the floor E then the switch rails are shifted to the position shown in Fig. 2.

It will also be noticed that the desired changes in the switch rails can be readily made for running the cars on or off the main track A without seriously interfering with the running of the cars remaining on the track at the time.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

l. A pleasure railway having a track for the cars to run on, a platform between the ends of the said track for the cars to pass over from one end of the track to the other, and guiding means on the said platform for guiding the cars while traveling over the platform from one end of the track to the other end thereof, the said guiding means comprising a main guide rail pivoted on top of the platform and having its outer edge curved, the ends of said main guide rail terminating near the ends of the outer rail of the track, means for locking the main guide rail in position to guide the outer wheels of a car, auxiliary guide rails fulcrumed on the platform adjacent to the ends of the inner rail of the track, and means for locking the auxiliary guide rails in position to guide the inner wheels of a car.

2. A pleasure railway having a track for the cars to run on, a platform between the ends of the said track for the cars to pass over from one end of the track to the other and adjustable guiding means on the said platform for guiding a car while traveling over the said platform from one end of the track to the other end thereof, and for guiding a car from the terminal of the track to one side of the platform and for guiding a car from one side of the platform to the beginning end of the track.

3. A pleasure railway having a track for the cars to run on, a platform between the ends of the said track for the cars to pass over from one end of the track to the other, adjustable guiding means on the said platform for guiding a car while traveling over the said platform from one end of the track to the other end thereof, and for guiding a car from the terminal of the track to one side of the platform, and for guiding a car from one side of the platform to the beginning end of the track, and adjustable auxiliary means for assisting the said guiding means in running a car over the side of the platform.

4. A pleasure railway having a track for the cars to run on, a platform between the ends of the said track for the cars to pass over from one end of the track to the other, adjustable guiding means on the said platform for guiding the cars while traveling over the platform from one end of the track to the other end thereof, and for guiding a car from one end of the track out of the course and to one side of the platform, and auxiliary means for guiding a car on running the same on one side of the platform.

5. A pleasure railway having a track for the cars to run on, a platform between the ends of the said track for the cars to pass over from one end of the track to the other, adjustable guiding means on the said platform for guiding the cars while traveling over the platform from one end of the track to the other end thereof and for guiding the car from one side of the platform onto one end of the track, and auxiliary means for guiding a car while ruiming the same on one side of the platform.

6. A pleasure railway having a track for the cars to run on, a platform between the ends of the said track for the cars to pass over from one end of the track to the other, and a main guide rail on the platform and serving to guide the outer wheels of a car over the platform from the terminal of the outer track to the beginning end thereof, the said main guide rail being pivoted on the platform to disconnect the ends of the said guide rail from the ends of the outer track rail, to allow of switching a car from the terminal of the track onto the platform and to switch a car from the platform onto the beginning end of the track.A

7. A pleasure railway having a track for the cars to run on, a platform between the ends of the said track for the cars to pass over from one end of the track to the other, a main guide rail on the platform and servH ing to guide the outer wheels of a car over the platform from the terminal of the outer track rail to the beginning end thereof, the said main guide rail being pivoted on the platform to disconnect the ends of the said guide rail from the ends of the outer track rail to allow of switching a car from the terminal of the track onto the platform, and to switch a car from the platform onto the beginning end of the track, and auxiliary hinged rails on the said platform for guiding the car in its travel from the terminal of the track to one side of the platform to the beginning end of the track.

8. A pleasure railway having a track for the cars to run on, a platform between the ends of the said track for the cars to pass over from one end of the track to the other, an adjustable main guide rail pivoted on the platform, adjustable auxiliary guide rails fulcrumed on the platform and adapted to coperate with the main guide rail for guid ing the cars while traveling over the platform from one end of the track to the other end thereof, and an adjustable guide rail adapted to coperate with the said main and auxiliary adjustable guide rails for guiding a car from one end of the track out of the course and to one side of the platform.

9. A pleasure railway having a track for the cars to run on, a platform between the ends of the said track for the cars to pass over 'from the terminal end of the track to the beginning end, an adjustable main guide rail pivoted on the platform, adjustable auxiliary guide rails fulcrumed on the platform and. ada ted to coperate With the main guide rail for guiding the cars While traveling over the platform from one end of the track to the other end thereof, guide rails fulcriimed on the platform and iloor adjacent to the terminal end of the track, and a guide rail fulcrumed adjacent to the beginning end of the trackI the said guide I 10 rails being adapted to coperate with the main guide rail and the auxiliary guide rails to guide a car from one side of the platform` name to this specification in the presence of 15v two subscribing Witnesses.

STEPHEN E. JACKMAN. Witnesses:

THEO. G. HOSTER, EVERARD B. MARSHALL. 

